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Cardamom Cake from Kuwait (Gers Ogaily)

Gers Ogaily is a cardamom and saffron cake from Kuwait that is as beautiful as it is flavorful. Serve this dense, delicious cake with a cup of tea and a light sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 284 kcal
Course: Dessert

Ingredients

  • ½ tsp saffron
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp warm milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
  • 1 cup milk room temperature
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp rose water

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the ½ tsp saffron down a bit. Then add the 1 tsp of granulated sugar into the mortar and continue grinding until the sugar and saffron combine.
  3. Pour this mixture into a small bowl, then add the 2 tbsp warm milk and allow the saffron to soak for 10 minutes. Set aside.
  4. Add the 4 eggs and 1 ½ cups granulated sugar into a large bowl then mix with an electric hand mixer for about 5 minutes until the mixture triples in size.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the 2 cups flour, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, and 2 tbsp sesame seeds together. Set aside.
  6. In another separate, small bowl combine the 1 cup milk, saffron mixture, ½ cup melted butter, 1 tsp cardamom, and 1 tsp rose water. Whisk to combine.
  7. Once both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients are prepared, it is time to make the batter. Take turns adding the dry & wet ingredients into the sugar and eggs, gently hand mixing to combine between each addition. Do 3 additions of each mixture, finishing with the dry.
  8. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray, then pour your batter into the bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe from @elanneboake on TikTok!
  • Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
  • Saffron: For the most authentic flavor, use the freshest saffron possible. Fresh saffron looks like thick, rough hairs. It should be steeped.
  • Toasted Sesame Seeds: See below for instructions on how to toast your sesame seeds.
  • Milk: Any kind of milk will do but whole milk will give your cake a special richness
  • Butter: Unsalted, and melted butter.
  • Cardamom: Cardamom is usually sold in a powder or ground cardamom. As with all spices, the fresher the better. You may find cardamom pods which can be ground in a mortar and pestle.
  • Rose Water: Rose water is water that has been infused with rose petals. It has many aesthetic purposes but it is also a popular ingredient in many Mediterranean desserts. It adds a light, floral taste to the dish. You can purchase a bottle online. Be sure that it is food-grade, rather than cosmetic.
  • The toasted sesame seeds add an important layer of flavor to this cake. Don’t skip the toasting!
  • This cake has a very light, sweet flavor but it is also a fairly dense, moist cake. It is best served with tea or coffee.
  • The addition of sugar to the mortar and pestle, when you grind the saffron, helps ensure the saffron is ground to a fine powder. Some people like to keep the saffron whole and steep it as is.
  • Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack or cooling rack to room temperature before serving to get the most out of all the unique flavors in this great cake.
  • This cake recipe requires only gentle mixing at the end so it does not require an electric mixer. A rubber spatula will work well for mixing by hand.
  • This cake is traditionally baked in a bundt pan, but you could also use a round cake pan or springform pan in a pinch.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1tsp Calories 284kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 43g (14%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 78mg (26%) Sodium 241mg (10%) Potassium 88mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 27g (54%) Vitamin A 353IU (7%) Vitamin C 0.04mg (0%) Calcium 85mg (9%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 284

% Daily Value*

Serving 1tsp
Calories 284kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 43g 14%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 241mg 10%
Potassium 88mg 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 27g 54%
Vitamin A 353IU 7%
Vitamin C 0.04mg 0%
Calcium 85mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.